Despite it being an inevitability for all of us, death is not often discussed openly; one company that specialises in natural cemeteries and burials is trying to break the taboo.
GreenAcres is not your average funeral provider. Their sites across the UK span more than 260 acres of serene woodland and meadows where people are buried in eco-friendly coffins made from cardboard, willow, banana leaf and bamboo or sometimes a simple shroud to minimise the impact on the environment.
Services are conducted in a timber, lodge-style buildings with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the stunning grounds. Their funerals are for people "of any faith or no faith" and are spread over a longer period of time, led by a 'celebrant' who deliver thorough eulogies often accompanied by images on a projector and personal music.
READ MORE: Brookside's Damon and Debbie where are they now? From spin-off show to other soap roles
Families also have the option for loved ones to be memorialised in the parks, moving away from the more traditional cemeteries with rows of headstones and creating a space "for the living".
Bekki James, from GreenAcres, told the ECHO: "We want to find ways to make it positive to talk about death. We want to create an experience for people to feel uplifted. It doesn't need to be sad and people can do something unique to their family as they have more time."
Among the GreenAcres sites is Rainford Park in St Helens, the company's only facility in the north of England.
But why are more people turning to natural burials and non denomination ceremonies? Bekki said: "I think it's a mixture. A crematoria setting is very quick. It's very hard for councils as they're under such pressure.
"We know it's difficult for families to find something unique, so we've tried to give people a way they can do something different that's relatively affordable.
"I also think generally, from a cultural perspective, as people have gone further and further away from religion, they're looking for alternatives."
The latest Census data revealed Christianity is on the decline in England and Wales, although Merseyside is home to some of the most religious areas in the UK.
Bekki thinks the Covid-19 pandemic could also have something to do with the rise of natural cemeteries and non-denomination services. She added: "I think that massive acceleration of people going online to look at what's around from a funeral perspective, their eyes have been opened.
"It's been a bit quicker than perhaps we've expected. Many funeral directors are old family businesses and very traditional. Historically, people would have just walked to their local high street."
Bekki said her team "take absolute pride" in what they do. She added: "You can't re-do a funeral. There's massive emotion attached to it and our team take that really seriously.
"We try to create an event that's as painless as possible in a very painful situaton."
GreenAcres also run bereavement groups in areas local to their parks which are open to the whole community.
"Any opportunity to raise the conversation around death and dying we feel is really important," Bekki added. "Cemtaries can also be places for the living. Our parks are light, bright and warm so people want to come back."
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
READ NEXT:
Bullied schoolboy's life changed after 'lightbulb moment'
Man threatens to kill Merseytravel guard before being sent to the floor
Paedophile threw phone onto garden shed roof when police came knocking
Shoppers 'absolutely love' £8 serum that's like 'botox in a bottle'
I found a 'stunning' £35 Home Bargains lamp that's almost identical to a £165 designer version
